Coalition
Population: The Coalition is the current government, controlling most of the land on the Island and the humans living on it. It is governed by the Chancellor, Richard Amaros, and the Council. Locations Cities Union City * The House of Assembly * Chimera General Hospital * The Edmund School * Enforcers' Academy * Unity Preparatory Academy * The MAT Building * The Center for Magical Science and Research * The Arena * The River Walle * The Slums * Kingston Street Orphanage * Bottom's Up * Galman's * Elegante Falls Seaside * The Harbor * The Grand Theatre Damerel * Mining Mountain * Stoke Primary School * Healing Hands Clinic * Gideon's Sanctuary for Children Vellenvale * Glass Basin * Reflection of Eden * Magical Emporium of Wonders * The Wayward Soul's House Villages Some villages were destroyed in the destruction during the Blood Moon These are the remaining villages: * Namoke * Ellandale * Loudwater * Cliffside * Abhainn Other * Crossroads * The Prison * The Facility * Sator Academy * The Train Technology Cars, Trucks, Trains and Automobiles There are cars for personal use as well as Street Cars in Union City. There are construction vehicles in Damerel, but no passenger cars. Motorcycles are used in Damerel and the Slums occasionally, but you would be hard pressed to find them in Vellenvale where they prefer horse drawn vehicles, and they are equally rare in Seaside where the main mode of transportation is bicycle. There is one train and it is constantly moving throughout the Coalition. It circles through Union City over Unity Island and through the Slums, Seaside, and Crossroads before passing through Damerel and coming up to just south of Vellenvale where it circles around for another lap. There are boats on the island, but they are shallow water crafts as any attempt to sail out to sea meets a gruesome fate. There are no airplanes, blimps, hot air balloons, or other aircraft. Those with the wind element can glide on the wind, but that is as close to flying as anyone is on the island currently. Utilities The Coalition has electricity in all of its cities, villages, and even at the prison. They also have running water and indoor plumbing in all the cities, but not the villages or farms. They rely on fireplaces for heat and fans for cooling, there is no AC or Heat, however, the temperature on the island is rarely inhospitable. Appliances As far as large appliances go, most people have an ice box to preserve food and an oven to cook it, but there aren’t dishwashers or toasters or coffee makers. Coffee is made on the stove or on a fire. There are no vacuums, people have to use a broom and beat rugs to clean them. There are computers, but not usually for personal use. They are in the Facility, the Union City Tribune, the MAT Building, Chimera General Hospital, and the Center for Magical Science and Research. There are also cameras, but they are rare and usually used only for government purposes or at the Union City Tribune. There are a few enthusiasts however, especially in Vellenvale, who do purchase them or build their own for amateur photography. Enforcers wear small scanners they can use to scan identity cards which will bring up a person’s record for them to see. Shops and vendors have recently begun using their own scanners for identity cards in order to make purchases. The Coalition is currently making a transition between gold coins and “credits” which is a digital monetary system the government can track more easily. Enforcers also have short wave radio headsets to communicate while in the field. However, there are no telephones or walkies for personal use. Weapons and Armor Weapons Swords, knives, daggers, bows, staves, throwing stars, etc. As well as guns, but nothing fully automatic. Armor They have plate armor, chain armor, and full body coverage armor used by the Enforcers. Currency See Also: Lucky Penny Gold coins called pennies and their smaller cousins half pennies have been the standard for most of recent history, but the Coalition is currently making a transition between gold coins and “credits” which is a digital monetary system the government can track more easily. Each credit is equal in worth to one gold penny and is stored on your identity card. Government The Coalition is run by the Chancellor and the Council. Both the Chancellor and the Council are elected by the people. The Chancellor serves for life, or until found unfit by the Council. The Council is elected for 7 year terms with no term limits. Voting takes place in Union City in the MAT Building. The Council is the legislative body of the government, and also the judicial body. On the first of every month they are in session. Every other day of the month, Councillors hold court on a rotating basis to hear cases from the Union City area. Each city or town in the Coalition has both a Governor and an Enforcers' outpost. The Governor is chosen by the Chancellor and approved by the Council. Traditionally, the Chancellor chooses a governor from the region, but there have been a few exceptions. The governor serves for life and is in charge of the day to day governing of their city or town, as well as their contribution to the Coalition. They also serve as the judge, though cases can be appealed to Union City and heard by the councilor currently holding court. The governors do not have a vote in the Council, but are invited to attend and speak at their monthly sessions. The line of succession in case of assassination of the Chancellor is as follows: * Chairman of the Committee of Defense and Service * Chairman of the Committee of Magical Science and Research * Chairman of the Committee of Communications and Commerce * Senior Most Councilmember * Chief Enforcer * Director of Enforcement * Governor of Seaside * Governor of Damerel * Governor of Vellenvale * Governor of Namoke * Governor of Ellandale * Governor of Loudwater * Governor of Cliffside * Governor of Abhainn Religion There is no concept of religion in the Coalition. They don't use religious curse words or exclamations. They do not pray. They do not believe in an afterlife per say - more about that in death. Some people have the ability to speak with the spirits of the dead and there are ghosts, but that is believed to be because the energy of a person can remain intact, depending on their strength of will, without a corporeal form for a limited time before it spreads and dissipates. Death When a person's body dies, their spirit can no longer remain inside it and is released. However, spirits cannot survive long without a body. See also: ghosts. When someone dies their body is either preserved in a mausoleum, buried in a grave with a marker (but no coffin), or cremated - depending on the status and affluence of their family and connections. Funerals are solemn affairs where loved ones wear red and give speeches about the person who has passed. Holidays ALL HALLOW'S EVE On the last day of October the people of the Coalition honor those who have come before them. This is when they reflect over those who have been lost, and occasionally contact them, if their ghosts are still present. The carving of gourds and the wearing of costumes and masks to scare away malevolent ghosts and spirits are the most common ways to celebrate this holiday and there is often a large meal, where those in attendance tell stories about those who are no longer with them. New Year's Eve This holiday is celebrated on the last day of the year and symbolizes shedding of the old and of new beginnings. There is a festival in the city with lanterns, fireworks, and heavy drinking. It is customary to wear a mask and to hide your identity and for one night, forget your station in life. History Humans began showing up on the Island around 300 BC. Eventually they form tribes and city states. Nothing cohesive until Theodosia Burr Alston in 1822 brought all of the city states together to form a council with a leader from each as a representative. In 1953, a new leader of one of the coastal city-states, Charles Taylor, with the support of his military force lead by Thomas Garner, declared himself as the head of the council, and made his city state the capital. His main focus throughout his lifetime was trying to find a way off the Island. His chief Engineer and the man he entrusted to come up with a solution was Herbert Bates. Though many attempts were made, none were successful and Charles Taylor lived his remaining years on the Island. After his death, his son Bartholomew Taylor became his successor in 1992. He continued the search, draining the resources of all the people. The inland city states tried to seperate themselves from their coastal leader and a huge war erupted in the summer of 2000. The inland states were beat back into submission, and a true monarchy was formed. During this time, newcomers to the Island were instant celebrities, bringing news from the outside. One was a 14 year old boy named Austin Stephanos, who became a page to the king, who eventually adopted him, though he could not be in line for the succession. Eventually, there were no more newcomers to the Island, no more wrecks washing ashore. The last was an empty submarine in 2029. That's when the dragons came. The dragons had always stayed away from the Island, preferring the deep waters, but suddenly they were surrounding the island, destroying everything the humans had built. As quickly as they appeared, the dragons vanished returning to the deep waters surrounding the Island. All of their great cities were in ruin and the survivors had no choice, but to start from scratch.This was a time when civilization had completely fallen apart but in three hundred years different independent city-states had sprung back up over the island. Something had changed though. People had begun being born with abilities no one could understand. No one ever knew for sure what caused the dragons to become so enraged with mankind, but the most popular opinion is that the dragons either caused or attempted to prevent this sudden manifestation of magic among the human population. Still, others theorize that there was someone or something had manipulated the dragons into attacking. To this day, humans cannot explain either event. There was peace for a time, until Alexander Drumerel, King of Vellen, began waging a bloody magical war against the other city-states in 2341. One by one, they fell to his armies and elite guard of elemental masters. After a bloody thirty-one year war Alexander had conquered the entire known human world and declared himself of the Emperor of Vellen. For another two hundred and fifty years his descendants would rule the island with fear and magic. In 2622 the Empire of Vellen collapsed after the entire royal family was assassinated by the Elite Elemental Guard. They split the empire amongst themselves and ruled as brutal dictators for a brief period. A group known as the Alliance of Freedom formed amongst the people and successfully revolted against the Elemental Guards, who had begun fighting amongst each other at this point. The success of the revolution resulted in the formation of the Coalition in 2647. Union City became the capitol, welcoming immigrants from all over the island. They established a council made up of elected representatives, who were led by a Chancellor with the ability to veto their decisions. The Council was in charge of interpreting the law while the Chancellor was expected to enforce it. The system was originally very balanced, but over the three year hundred years of its existence, the Coalition has had periods where power has been very unbalanced. Currently, Chancellor Richard Amaros (Elected in 2957) has exercised far greater power and control over the Council than his predecessors, creating a tighter reign on magic and it's users, so much so that a resistance has been formed in opposition (2981). He was aided in his efforts by the outbreak of Lycanthropy in the Spring of 2966, Inspiring the clean up the slums project four years later. The current year is: 2996